Snow pelts central Ohio

Monday

Mar 25, 2013 at 12:01 AMMar 25, 2013 at 1:30 PM

Forecasters expect 3 to 6 inches of snow today as a winter storm passes through central Ohio during the first week of spring. Level 1 snow emergencies have been declared in several central Ohio counties, including Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Pickaway and Union, indicating hazardous roadways. Several area school districts have delayed or canceled classes.

Jim Woods, The Columbus Dispatch

A winter storm took a little longer than expected to reach central Ohio last night but finally started raining down about 10 p.m.

Forecasters predict 3 to 6 inches of snow today as the storm passes through central Ohio. The heavier snow amounts could occur in the northern suburbs, said Eric Elwell, a meteorologist with WBNS-TV (Channel 10).

Several school districts have delayed or canceled classes today, especially in outlying areas. In Madison County, Jefferson Local and London City schools areclosed.Among the districts with a two-hour delay are Canal Winchester, Dublin, Groveport Madison, Pickerington and Reynoldsburg.

See the entire list of school closings and delays.

Those planning to travel by airplane today may find their flights canceled or delayed. Weather is affecting flights at Port Columbus, as well as at airports throughout the Midwest and East.

View flight informationat Port Columbus.

The snow is expected to taper off before noon, but flurries could linger through Tuesday. Elwell doesn’t expect those flurries to add much to accumulation totals.

Dayton and its surrounding counties should receive 6 to 8 inches of snow, said meteorologist Myron Padgett of the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Ohio.

And while you might be thinking snow should be a thing of the past by this date, Padgett said the average date of the final snowfall is March 30.

“What is unusual is to get this much snow this late in March,” Elwell said.

Original forecasts were for the snow to hit yesterday in the daytime. But there were only a few stray flakes in most areas. There was enough snow to cover the ground in Chillicothe and Pike County, Elwell said.

The Ohio Department of Transportation started preparing for the storm at midday yesterday in Fayette, Madison and Pickaway counties. By 4 p.m., ODOT had 81 snowplows on duty in those counties and in Delaware, Franklin, Marion, Morrow and Union counties.

ODOT expected to have 100 plows on duty overnight, said Breanna Watzka, an ODOT spokeswoman.

Columbus crews applied brine to main roadways, bridges and overpasses yesterday, said Rick Tilton, assistant public service director. The city planned to have 42 to 52 trucks working the streets overnight, he said.